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At Winde’s weekly press conference on Thursday, the head of the Western Cape health department, Dr. Keith Cloete, presented statistics showing that the province had achieved a Covid-19 test positivity rate below 10. %.
Cape Town’s two remaining Covid-19 treatment facilities have just 33 patients.
“We must open up all sectors of the economy and allow international travel in accordance with clear health guidelines and in recognition of individual responsibility,” Winde said.
“We must treat our residents as responsible partners in our continued efforts to keep Covid-19 in decline.
“Tomorrow, the Western Cape Cabinet will discuss the further openness of the economy and take an official position to present to President Ramaphosa during their next round of consultations.
“If the daily Covid-19 statistics were an indicator of how we were doing in our fight against this health pandemic, then the GDP statistics released this week, which showed a significant decline in economic activity, should be the most important indication. clear that we are now in the midst of a dangerous and, yes, deadly second unemployment pandemic that will hit our most vulnerable communities hardest ”.
Winde said he agreed with Ramaphosa’s comments on the release of the statistics that “this was not a shock, but the result of a prolonged and severe lockdown and its associated economic restrictions, which were sometimes lacking in common sense.”
“The reality is that if people cannot work, sell their goods or offer their services, the economy cannot grow and jobs will be lost,” he said.
Cloete said that according to data from Vodacom and Google, Western Cape residents returned to pre-shutdown activity much more slowly than compatriots in other provinces.
He attributed this to a successful behavior change campaign that also saw a lower Covid-19 spike in the Western Cape, albeit longer compared to other provinces.
TimesLIVE
